Sentance: Death
by titangirl161
Summary: Rin has unknowingly failed the exorcist exam, and is marked for execution. Yukio is working through his feelings for his brother when he gets the news, in the worst way possible. How will the brothers cope with this? First BE fanfic, SLIGHT AU (see note inside)
1. Prologue

Friends and haters, I'm back, finally writing a multi-chaptered story again! Yay, my first Blue Exorcist fic! This one came to me as a dream, so I don't really know the ending, but I'm sure it will come to me as I go along! Be warned! This story will have family cuteness and a few angst bombs as well. So before I begin:

NOTE 1- I DO NOT WRITE YAOI. But I LOVE CUTENESS. So there will be fluffy family cuteness! You are free to view it anyway you want, however, I ask that you please don't leave me reviews telling me exactly HOW you're seeing it (if this hadn't already happened to me several times, it wouldn't be an issue, so I wouldn't have to make a note of it). And-

NOTE 2- this takes place before the events of the festival, so there will be no spoilers, rest assured! However, it's slight AU because it's AFTER they take the Exorcist Exam- that's a MAJOR plot point. Just wanted to clear that up. Now my puppy-muse Scribble will do the disclaimer and we will begin!

Scribble: We do not own Blue Exorcist, that belongs to Kazue Kato and because a certain someone would rather use her money to buy the mangas instead, we will never own it. So don't sue us, we are broke- remember that part about buying mangas?

Many thanks to beta and friend What2callmyself? for making this intelligible!

Prologue

In the times when Father Fujimoto was still alive, when Rin and Yukio were children, when Rin was blissfully unaware of what he really was and Yukio wanted to be strong like his older twin someday, there was one way that Yukio was stronger than his brother.

For whatever reason, Rin did not like stormy nights. It wasn't even thunder and lightning, or if it rained during the day, it was fine. But Rin just could not sleep well on stormy nights. And on such nights, after much tossing and turning, Rin always did the same thing: he climbed into Yukio's bed.

While Rin could sleep through an earthquake, Yukio was a pretty light sleeper, so whenever Rin crawled into his bed, he felt it immediately and woke. Yukio would always ask what was wrong and Rin would immediately deny being scared or upset (not realizing Yukio hadn't said a word about either of those), and finally Yukio would smile, shift over and pull his older brother close to him. Yukio had always been a little taller than Rin (much to Rin's chagrin) and when he pulled his brother to him, Rin's head would end up tucked under Yukio's, against his chest so he could hear his heartbeat, which always relaxed Rin. And Yukio would softly reassure him, that he didn't need to worry, that Yukio was there and would always be there for him.

In those times when they were younger, Yukio often wished he could be more like his older brother. Rin wasn't afraid of anything, or anyone. If there were bullies picking on him, Rin would be the one to run to his defense, and sometimes beat up the bullies too. Rin would always find a solution for every problem and would never give up. Rin truly was able to do everything Yukio couldn't.

And so, in the stormy nights of their youth, Yukio was glad he finally could do something his twin couldn't. It was just this one small thing, but this was one way in which Yukio could finally be the one protecting Rin.

Scribble: That was short.

Me: It's just a prologue! Yukio wanted to protect Rin even then! So, the first chapter will be out soon, and we'll get this story underway! Let me know what you guys think! Flames that tell me I suck without telling me how to improve are worthless and will be laughed at. Constructive Criticism is helpful and is appreciated. And Good reviews are always loved! So until next time! Long Live the Exorcist Cram School!

-titangirl161


	2. Chapter 1: Worries and Nerves

Here I am everyone, back for the next chapter! Here the actual PLOT begins! How many of you are exited? *No hands* Siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Oh well, let's get this started. Scribble?

Scribble: We do not own Blue Exorcist. We do this for fun and entertainment only- and because the authoress has some messed up dreams.

Me: *throws a manga at him* Don't question my subconscious! Now onto the story!

And thank you W2cm for once again beta-ing a story for a manga you don't even read! (And even listen to me rant and rave about it! ^_^U)

Chapter 1: Worries and Nerves

Rin lay on his bed, reading manga (it was actually his brother's copy of Jump Square) and while he looked relaxed, his tail was swishing nervously back and forth and Rin sighed, his head flopping down. Not even the manga could calm him today.

It was a little while after the Exorcist Exam, and while they hadn't gotten the results back yet, Rin was incredibly nervous. After all, it was only his life that was depending on this test. As far as he was aware, his execution would be withdrawn as long as he passed the Exorcist Exam- IF he passed, being the key part. Rin notoriously sucked at school, not at all the good student like Yukio was, and even knowing his life was literally on the line, it was hard to get him to sit still and study for long.

Not to say he didn't try. He studied a lot with Bon, and Shima, and Konekomaru. He even managed to get Izumo to help him study a few times. And of course Shiemi was more than willing to help him out in any way she could.

And of course, having his brother -also his teacher- on his back about it, he spent several nights with Yukio trying to concentrate on studying so he could pass this stupid test.

But now he was definitely regretting it. That test had been hard. REALLY HARD. Even with the amount he studied and how confident he felt going in, he came out feeling like a zombie. And honestly, he had no idea how well -or how badly- he did. He knew his grade was not going to be super -his grades never were- but he didn't THINK he did too badly. But did he do well enough to pass? He wasn't sure. It would be close; he knew that much- but would be just passing, or just failing? And if he failed…they really were going to execute him, weren't they?

How would they go about that? Would they just kidnap him out of his room and he'd wake up at the main headquarters in a cell one morning? Or would it be assassination style; he'd be walking along and suddenly BAM, shot in the head and he would be gone? Or maybe-

Rin shook his head violently. It was no use worrying about it like this. He just wanted a little time to relax and not think about it.

But Lady Luck was not on his side today, just as he tried to get back to reading, who should walk in but Yukio.

Yukio took one look over to the bed where Rin was resting and then it began.

"Nii-san, what are you doing just lazing around? And…hey! Isn't that mine?!"

"I was just borrowing it! And I was just taking a break for a second!"

"A break, huh?" His eyes narrowed at his older twin.

"Yeah!" Rin defiantly declared.

"So, how much of your homework have you done?" Yukio challenged.

Rin wasn't quite expecting that. To tell the truth, he had started some math, but that was all. "Ummm…some math…some of it I didn't get…,"he mumbled.

"And were you going to leave it blank?" Yukio asked sternly.

"No! I was going to ask you for some help!" Rin snapped defensively.

"Ok…how about English? If I remember correctly, you got a zero on your last test."

"Uhhhhhhh…."

"You didn't even look at it, did you?"

"I was going to…" Rin mumbled.

"Nii-san, you can't just keep putting these things off! You need to concentrate on your schoolwork!"

"But I didn't come here to go to school! I came here to be an exorcist!"

"Oh? And how is that going? How did you do on the test?"

At the mention of the test, Rin froze like a deer in headlights. "I…I don't know yet…we haven't gotten back the results…"

"You came here to do that, and you couldn't even take that test seriously?!"

"I did too! I studied for it! All the others can attest to that, I studied with them!"

"Nii-san, you know what will happen if you fail that test! They're going to execute you!"

"Of course I remember, spotty four-eyes! You think I don't get it? I know it better than anyone!"

"Then how can you be so relaxed about it?! You never take anything seriously!"

"What good is worrying over it going to do me?! The test is over! What's done is done! I can't change it now!"

"Even that attitude says you're taking it too lightly!"

"So I should go crazy worrying about it? I can't be that way, I'm not like you!"

At that last statement, Yukio looked absolutely furious, and Rin knew immediately that that had been the wrong thing to say. "You're not like me, is that so? Well, tell me, what's wrong with that?" Yukio asked slowly, his voice low and dangerous.

"No, nothing! That's not what I meant, really!" Rin tried to repair the situation.

"Then what did you mean?" Yukio tone remained cold.

Rin desperately fumbled in his mind for something that could fix this quickly. "I meant…it's just…."

He wasn't quick enough. With one last look of contempt, Yukio turned on his heel to leave.

"Wait, Yukio!" Rin tried to call to him, but it was too late, Yukio walked out, slamming the door behind him.

~Later~

Dinner was pretty awkward.

Neither Yukio nor Rin knew what to say to each other at this point, so they just sat in silence. And because the two of them were in the old abandoned building, the silence itself was near deafening.

Rin ate as quickly as he could, and immediately started working on the dishes, anything to keep his mind occupied on other things. When Yukio was done, he found it hard to go up to the sink. Truthfully, he had cooled down a little, but was still angry at Rin, and wanted him to stew in his guilt a little longer. But somehow it still pained him to see Rin, his strong older brother, acting like a wounded puppy. He very quickly put his dishes in the sink and headed to the door without stopping.

He wasn't quick enough either. "Yukio…I'm sorry…."

Yukio stopped dead at Rin's soft words, hand frozen with a dish still in it, but not daring to turn to look at his younger brother. Not as though it mattered- Yukio couldn't possibly face Rin now. "It's fine, Nii-san," he said softly before leaving, letting the door shut softly behind him.

He hurried back to his room and got into bed quickly. He felt even worse now. What was the point of making his older brother feel guiltier than he already felt? He heard Rin enter soon after, and Rin also started getting ready for bed too, while Yukio feigned sleeping, still not feeling up to facing him right now.

That night, as Yukio tossed restlessly, he heard the sound of the wind howling outside, followed by the pattering of raindrops on the roof. It was raining.

He actually wasn't sure what would happen from here. He was curious- would Rin climb into his bed, like he always used to? Or would he stay away, still upset about their fight?

Rin tossed and turned (much longer than he usually did, Yukio thought later) but finally gave up. He tried to sneak into Yukio's bed very slowly, so as not to wake his brother, but it made no difference -Yukio was already awake. "Nii-san?" he asked softly.

Rin froze. "I just…sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, I'll leave you alone."

Yukio grabbed his arm just as he was about to get up. "It's fine, Nii-san. You can sleep here."

Rin hesitated.

"I wasn't asleep, Nii-san. I have to go down to the Vatican tomorrow, and was up thinking about it." This was true, at least the first part.

Rin thought for a minute, then mumbled, "Alright," and lay down next to him. Yukio pulled him close -even though both had grown, Yukio was still taller, and Rin's head still tucked underneath his perfectly. "So you'll be gone tomorrow?" he asked Yukio as he leaned against Yukio's chest.

"Yeah, I'm getting up early to go. I guess you'll be sleeping in, since it's a weekend."

"Well, I could also start on my homework," he mumbled, a bit sheepishly, as he listened to his younger twin's heartbeat next to his head.

Yukio smiled. "Alright, Nii-san." He could almost feel Rin relaxing as he held him close. He whispered to him, just like when they were younger. "It's alright, Nii-san. Everything will be alright. I'm right here, I'm right beside you. I'll always be here." He could tell by Rin's breathing that he was asleep, and he whispered softly, more to himself. "You don't need to worry -just like I promised Father; I'll protect you, always." And soon he fell asleep deeply himself.

It would be the last peaceful sleep he would have in a while.

~Elsewhere~

At the Vatican, the top members were meeting. "Have we gotten Okamura's test results?" one asked.

"Yes."

"And?"

There was a pause. And then, "He failed."

The first bowed his head. "Then we have no choice. He will be executed. And I have already chosen his executioner."

Scribble: Wow, way to drop that bomb, right at the end of a cute first chapter!

Me: It's to build suspense, you know? After all, how can there even be a story if he passed? Well, here's the first chapter of the story! I tried really, really hard to not make the brothers sound too OOC -they do often argue like that, so I hope I didn't do too badly. So let me know what you think! Worthless flames are given to Rin who turns them to blue flames back at said flamers. Con crit is appreciated. And good reviews are loved! The next chapter will be out soon, so until next time! Long Live the Exorcist Cram School!

-titangirl161


	3. Chapter 2: Understanding

(Note: This was supposed to come out a week ago, but I'm apologizing because I refuse to apologize for being in the hospital)

Wooo, here we are at the second chapter! Are you excited? Cause I am! It's been so long since doing a multi-chaptered fic, it feels nice to be writing one again! Ok, let's get started! Take it away Scribble!

Scribble: We do not own Blue Exorcist, nor do we own At The Stars, the music inspiration for this chapter (obscure songs FTW!). So don't sue us now.

Thanks to beta W2cm-chan for beta-ing but NO THANKS FOR TAKING OUT ALL MY BEAUTIFUL COMMAS! [Drama queen it's only a few… 3]

Chapter 2: Understanding

Yukio was awoken early that morning by his cell phone alarm. As usual, Rin slept soundly through it until Yukio turned it off. He turned back to look at his brother's sleeping face before he left. He thought of saying goodbye to him, but Rin seemed to be sleeping so peacefully he felt he couldn't possibly wake him. Not to mention he usually couldn't wake Rin anyway, seeing as he slept like a rock.

He pulled out the key that would take him straight to the Vatican, and wasn't surprised to see Shura waiting for him right outside the door. "Well, you're bright and early, as usual."

"I'm professional, maybe you can try it sometime," Yukio snapped back at her.

"How rude!" she commented as the two walked to the main building. Shura was saying something, but Yukio couldn't concentrate -there had been another reason he hadn't wanted to wake his brother.

He had a nightmare last night, about his fight against Todou. The man had told him to be completely honest -and he had.

"_I love and hate my brother!"_

He had meant it when he said it, but when he thought about it now, sometimes it bothered him. Maybe it was the fact that the two of them had been fighting last night, and yes, Yukio often felt frustrated with Rin. But…he HATED him? Wasn't that a bit much?

"Hey, are you even listening?" Shura snapped him out of his musings.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Shura took a step away. "Hey, kid, are you alright? Being this spacey is more like Rin, not you."

Yukio twitched at the mention of his twin. "We're two different people, you know."

"Which is why I expect you to act like it! Seriously, what's been eating you?"

Yukio sighed. "It's nothing -it just has to do with the battle I had with Todou."

Shura immediately stepped up in front of him. "Hey, Yukio, you can't keep beating yourself up over that! You and a whole group of monks were useless, and you all did all you could! You need to stop worrying yourself about it."

Yukio shook his head. "It's not about that -it's about what I told him- when I told him that I loved and hated Nii-san at the same time." He paused, as to let it sink in. "I guess that makes me a pretty horrible person, though, hating my own brother…" he trailed off, not knowing where else to go.

Shura looked steadily at him then turned forward again before speaking. "No, that doesn't make you a horrible person at all -in fact, it sounds pretty normal to me."

Yukio turned to her, amazed. "You think that's normal?"

"It would be less normal if you didn't feel that way, with the way the two of you are. It's very simple -you hate your brother BECAUSE you love your brother."

"Be-Because I love nii-san…?"

"You wouldn't be able to hate him if you didn't love him. Love and hate are both very strong feelings on opposite sides of the same coin, so it's very easy to flip between them."

"I-I don't think I understand."

Shura sighed. "It's like this. You two are brothers, even more, twins. You were born together, and grew up together. You know everything about each other. You're the only family the other has. You are the closest to each other. And because of all of those things, you love your brother, and you want to protect him. And he wants to protect you too, because you're his younger brother, and he loves you too. But Rin is reckless, runs head first into things without thinking, and makes dangerous decisions that could get him hurt or into trouble. And you hate that. You want so much to protect him that it almost feels like he's doing it purposefully just to make your life harder. And you hate that he makes you worry. And you hate that you worry about him because the only reason you worry about him is because you love him, and if you didn't have to worry about him you wouldn't hate him either, so you also then begin to hate the fact that you love him, because he made you love him and now you have to worry about him and you hate that he can make you worry, but even through that you still can't hate him for too long because you love him, and…" Shura suddenly trailed off and Yukio almost chuckled to himself, knowing that Shura had just revealed something in herself a little too personal. "I think you get the point. But I don't know if I'm making sense or not anymore."

But Yukio understood. What Shura said made sense. In fact, it summed up everything Yukio had already knew he felt but tied it all together in the way that explained everything. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of him, and smiled. "No, it's alright, I understand. It definitely helped."

Shura grinned. "You're welcome, you brat."

And so Yukio felt much better as he made his way in, not knowing how horrible he would feel on his way out.

"Yukio Okumura, your mission is to assassinate Rin Okumura."

Scribble: A CLIFFHANGER?

Me: Yeah, I had planned it especially like that. Yukio has been given the worst kind of mission, what will he do? What can he do? You'll have to stay tuned to find out! So let me know how it was! Worthless flames are worthless. Con crit is helpful. Good reviews are loved! Not sure when the next chapter will come out, but it shouldn't be too long, so until then! Long Live the Exorcist Cram School!

-titangirl161


	4. Chapter 3: Yukio's Mission

Hello friends and haters, here we are with the next installment! These next few chapters are going to be a bit longer, as the actual plot has now officially begun! There will be much drama and other such fun stuff up ahead! What will Yukio do? And what of Rin? Let's get to answering those questions! Take it away, Scribble!

Scribble: We do not own Blue exorcist, no matter how much we love it. The sad story of our lives, people.

Thanks to What2callmyself? for beta-ing and making these intelligible!

Chapter 3: Yukio's mission.

"I…uh…what?" Yukio could not even form a proper sentence after hearing what his mission was. He could not even begin to put those words into an order where he could understand them. He could only stand there in disbelief. What did they just say?

He stood there in front of the members of the Grigori, along with the paladin Arthur Angel and his longtime partner and arc-knight, Lewin "Lightning". If the words he heard were the words he thought he heard, then he would've expected one ‑or both- of them to look happy. But no –both looked dead serious, solemn, and quiet. This was all wrong. This had to be a joke, right?

The member who had originally addressed him spoke again. "Rin Okumura has failed the Exorcist Certification Exam, which was the condition for letting him live. Since he has failed it we have no choice but to execute him, and you are to be his executioner, Yukio Okumura."

Yukio could only just stand and stare in shock. How could Rin have failed? And his brother still had no idea he had failed too! And why, of all people, would they ask HIM to do it? How could he kill his own brother? He hoped they weren't expecting some kind of answer, because he could not even gather his thoughts properly.

Arthur now spoke. "This is not a request, Okumura, this is an order. Do you understand?" Strangely, his voice was quiet and eerily calm.

Yukio just hung his head, staring at the floor, still unable to speak.

Lewin spoke up, as if to make it better. "You know him best of anyone, and he trusts you. If we sent people after him, he might resist, and people could get hurt. Also," here he paused, looking as if he was trying to find a gentler way to say it, "there is no guarantee that if we sent someone else, that they would be…merciful."

Yukio's head snapped up. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

Lewin just shrugged. "He's the son of Satan. Figure it out."

Yukio's head hung down again, but he understood the strategist's words. Someone in the order might have a grudge, just like Nehaus did. They might torture him. And while they would eventually kill him, when? How long would they keep him alive to watch him suffer? Yukio couldn't allow that; the very thought was making his stomach turn. He could not just let them hurt his brother like that. At least if it was him, he could make sure Rin would die as quickly and painlessly as possible. He couldn't raise his head to look at them, but he nodded. "I…understand…" he croaked out, not even recognizing his own voice.

"Then we'll need you to mark the Morinas Contract with your blood. You have one week to do this, and you are not to tell anyone of this mission, especially not Rin Okumura."

Yukio looked in front of him to see the table and numbly walked towards it. It was as if he wasn't even doing it. He felt like he was somewhere far away, outside himself, and was only watching as he moved to the table, pricked his finger with the needle that was there, and pushed the bloody finger down on the contract.

"That will be all. You may leave now." The member of the Grigori told him.

Yukio didn't speak or look up, but turned around and walked out.

It still hadn't really hit him yet. He would have to kill his own older twin. Maybe his mind was still trying to convince itself it was a joke. This couldn't be real…it just couldn't…right?

Shura was there and turned to see him. She started to smile a bit. "Hey…." then her smiled faded and she trailed off when she took one look at his face. His eyes were dull, looking blankly ahead, not seeing anything. He didn't even seem to realize she was there. Shura sneaked a peak downwards and noticed the blood on his fingers.

The Morinas Contract? What kind of mission was this? Why should he need to sign one?

Technically, she knew she could go in and take a look at it -she ranked high enough to know. But it might look suspicious if she did so now. She would wait about a week, then go back and look at it. In the meantime, it was time for her to get back to True Cross Academy.

~Meanwhile~

"Stupid Yukio, leaving without saying anything," Rin muttered angrily while he munched on some pocky.

He had woken up only to find Yukio had already left. Yeah, he knew Yukio was leaving early, and waking up early wasn't exactly a strength of his, but his brother could've at least let some kind of note.

Rin stayed true to his word and started to work on his homework, still feeling a little miffed. And when he looked over some of the math problems again, he realized he could get them done, and planned on rubbing his brother's face in it when he got back, seeing as now he didn't even need his help.

He was mostly done, and had taken a break for a snack when Yukio, still numb and in a fog, walked in.

"So you finally decided to come back, huh? You didn't even wake me up or tell me what was going on! You just ran out and didn't tell anyone! Well, whatever, I was able to do my math all on my own without any help from you, Mr. Big shot! So there!"

As Rin went on, Yukio finally raised his eyes up to look at Rin, not even hearing what he was saying, and noticed his tail was swishing back and forth, perhaps in his anger. Then, as he watched it, it finally hit him. The weight finally came crashing down on his head.

He would have to kill Rin.

He had a week, but after that, his brother would be gone. He had just finally sorted out his feelings about the whole thing, and now he couldn't even relax and enjoy feeling like he had finally figured something out. He would never hear his brother asking to come along on missions again. He would never sleep through his class again. He would never come into Yukio's bed during storms again. He would never hear Rin's laugh anymore. He would never see Rin's smile again.

Rin would be gone.

And Yukio would be the reason why. Even worse he had agreed to it.

'Oh God, what have I done?' Yukio finally felt the weight of his decision and could barely face his brother.

Rin, meanwhile, had noticed the stricken look on his brother's face, and wandered over, so he was in front of his brother. "Hey, Yukio, are you ok?"

Yukio looked at his brother's face again, and lost it. "I'm sorry, Nii-san!" he cried out as he ran out of the room. He ran until he reached a door far enough away so his brother wouldn't see and used his keys to open a door to somewhere far away; knowing Rin wouldn't have the right keys or know even how to follow him. And when he was finally far enough away, he collapsed to his knees, sobbing quietly to himself.

Meanwhile, Rin had chased him out the door, looking around for him. "Yukio, get back here!" He ran out, looking through all the doors, and then tried another floor, then another. "Dammit, where are you hiding? How hard should this be to find you! We're in an abandoned…" he suddenly trailed off as he thought about it for probably the first time, that they were the only two people in a building that nobody used and nobody lived in, and he could not find the only other person that was in this building with him, "…building…."

He slumped against the wall. Yukio had told him when he had first arrived that he had pulled some strings to get a room with Rin, and that he and Rin would be alone in that building together, because he could keep an eye on Rin, because he was dangerous. But Rin saw now it was also because Rin was careless, and a little too honest, and would probably forget to hide his tail, and soon everyone would know about him, and what he was, and everyone would be judging him.

So this worked out well for Rin –it protected him. But what about Yukio? He was still a student too. And yet he spent his time looking after his brother, and making sure Rin was safe. He went out of his way to look after Rin, but what about himself? There must've been things Yukio wanted to do, and as a teacher, he probably could've gotten a better room in the newer and nicer buildings. The reason he was here in the first place was because of Rin, because Rin had decided he didn't want to lose anyone else like he had lost his father, and got some crazy idea to become an exorcist and defeat Satan. And even after coming here Yukio continued to worry over Rin, make sure he was doing well in his classes and that he kept up with exorcist cram school and the exam.

Rin collapsed to the ground, the realization having finally come to him. His brother had said several times that he had promised Father Fujimoto that he would protect Rin, and was determined to do so, but to always have that obligation, he was so focused on that he didn't spare a thought for himself. Wasn't that frustrating for him?

"Maybe…maybe it would be better for Yukio if I was gone…"

And suddenly the thought of failing the exam wasn't even so bad anymore.

Scribble: You're stopping there?!

Me: Yeah, I'm going to wait until the next chapter to pull out the big drama for this one. So people, what do you think? Let me know! Worthless flames = worthless. Con crit = appreciated. Good reviews = love. Not sure when the next will come out, but it will be here! So until then everyone! Long Live the Exorcist Cram School!

-titangirl161


	5. Chapter 4: Hurt

Look who's back, back again! Eminem, yes I know, I'm a loser. Well anyway, here's the newest chapter of our story! But I would like to apologize for the long wait- I KNOW, GUYS. But I'm in the process of moving across states (NY to PA) and have been insanely busy packing and loading things in my car, and driving, and unloading, wash, rinse, repeat, so I really just didn't have the time. Now with that out of the way, let's get started! Scribble?

Scribble: We own nothing. NOTHING, YOU HEAR?! Good!

Musical Inspiration: Save Me –Aimee Mann

Beta-ed and COMMAS ALL REMOVED by What2callmyself?

Chapter 4: Hurt

The next few days were awful, for Rin and Yukio both.

Yukio could not face Rin, not after becoming his executioner. The only thing he could do was avoid Rin. That was much easier said than done –they were roommates after all. If he had work to do, he would work in another room. He would try to wait for his brother to fall asleep to go back to the room, and while he usually didn't sleep all that much, he could barely sleep more than two hours now, mainly just staring at nothing most of the night until light began to creep into the room. He also avoided almost everyone in the cram class out of guilt. After all, he couldn't tell them –he had the contract looming over him, not to mention all of them liked both brothers.

They speculated of course, and then decided if anyone knew why their teacher was acting so strange, Rin would know. But one look or word of it to Rin only made matters worse.

Rin, who had no idea what was going on, could only see that his younger brother was avoiding him and he didn't know why. He thought it might've had something to do with the argument they had. He tried to approach his brother again, to try to apologize, to get Yukio to talk to him again –the silent treatment and avoidance on top of his own recent thoughts was getting to be too much for him. He hated that Yukio was so upset at him, and really wanted to make it better between the two of them, but Yukio wasn't giving him that chance.

And this had Rin so upset he was more of a mess than usual. He would stay awake during classes, but not because he was paying attention –several times he wouldn't even hear the teachers calling on him. He could barely work on his homework because he couldn't concentrate, and it wasn't as though he could ask Yukio for help. He couldn't sleep either, and it definitely showed -he wasn't loud and energetic, but quiet, slow, and lethargic.

"Man, what's going on with those two?" Bon asked no one in particular one day.

Konekomaru shrugged. "I'm not sure; maybe they had a fight or something."

"Yeah, but even for a fight with these two, doesn't it seem to be going on way too long?" Bon argued.

"Shiemi, you know them best -you know what's going on with them?" Shima asked.

Shiemi looked down. "I have no idea either. I wish I did. I wish they would talk to me." She paused. "Actually, I did try to ask Rin."

"And?" Izumo pressed.

"He said he has no idea why Yuki is so upset. And I wouldn't feel good about asking again -he seems really unhappy about it."

"So I guess we'll just have to wait," Konekomaru said defeated.

Shura, too, noticed this, as she was still tutoring him in swordsmanship. The normally hyper, loud, energetic and enthusiastic Rin she knew and loved seemed to have switched out overnight with this boy who looked like Rin but was barely swinging with any intention of making progress, now or ever.

Shura stopped, eying him hard. What could possibly be wrong with him? She rested her sword up on her shoulders and walked over to him. "What's with you today, Rin? You're not even trying here! You wanted me to train you, didn't you?"

Rin didn't look at her at first. "It's nothing. I'm just…"and then suddenly he remembered the day Yukio went to the Vatican, and thought maybe Shura might've gone with him, like she sometimes did. Maybe he spoke to her? Rin raised his head to look at Shura. "Hey, did Yukio say anything to you?"

Shura paused, remembering her conversation with Yukio. He had seemed relieved after their talk, so why would Rin want to know about it? "We talked some," she said evasively. "Why?"

"Did he tell you he was mad at me about our fight? Or why he was mad?"

Now Shura was surprised. She had no idea that the two of them had a fight, nor that Yukio was mad at him -he hadn't even mentioned either of those things. "No, he didn't mention anything like that."

"Oh," Rin looked down sadly again. "I just wish he would tell me. It feels like he hates me."

Shura's eyes widened and she grabbed Rin by the shoulders in attempt to get him to look at her. "Rin, that's not true at all! Your brother really loves you a lot, even if he doesn't really show it."

"It sure doesn't feel that way. He won't even talk to me."

Suddenly Shura remembered Yukio's attitude and mood after receiving his mission. "You know, he didn't talk to me either," she said softly, trailing off. Was this about the mission he received? How bad could it have been? Shura didn't know, but she did know she had to find out NOW. "Rin, we're going to take a break today. I have something I really need to do."

Rin nodded and left wordlessly. And Shura hurried off to the Vatican as fast as she could.

~Later~

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Shura all but shrieked as she burst into the room where a bunch of church officials were meeting.

Getting to the Vatican was no problem, and of course she had clearance to look at the mission files. Then her shock when she saw Yukio's latest mission was twofold. First, Rin failed. Not that it was exactly a shocker, but upon reading it and learning that he failed -it filled her with a horribly sad feeling. It meant he was going to be executed, and he probably didn't even know it. She almost couldn't believe that she would never see him again. The second shock was the mission itself -to execute Rin. Why? Why would they do that? Yukio was his brother! How could they ask him to do such a thing? No matter what logic or sense it made, it was a horrible and cruel thing to ask -to kill your own family. Did they even consider how Yukio would feel about it? What could they possibly be thinking?! And to use the Morinas Contract no less! Now it made sense why Yukio wouldn't talk to anyone, and why Rin felt like Yukio was avoiding him -if it had been Shura, she definitely would've done as much. But this -this was too much. It was just all wrong. And she was going to find out why.

The members sitting around the table all looked at the furious exorcist, not sure what she was talking about. Arthur was the one who spoke. "The meaning of what?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about! You're giving Yukio an assignment to kill Rin! How could you?!"

"It makes the most sense. Rin trusts him, and it would ensure it wouldn't be too bad on Rin either."

"But it's his brother! How could you make him do that? And to sign a contract no less?!"

"It's also to prove his loyalty," another member of the council spoke up.

Shura's mouth dropped open, and suddenly she felt a little sick. "What?"

"It's to prove Yukio's loyalty to the Knights of the True Cross. If he can to do it, it will show he is all he appears to be -a loyal and true exorcist. However, if he should chose his brother, the son of our enemy Satan, over us, it will show he was a traitor and of no use to us anyway. It's a win –win situation for us either way."

Shura stumbled back a few steps. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Were these really church officials talking? It sounded more like demons to her.

"Ms. Kirigakure, now that you have an answer, we are in the middle of something," Arthur tried shooing her out.

Shura glared once more as she spun on her heel and stormed out. No way was this over. It might've been a last resort, but she wasn't going to give up this easily. She would go see _him_.

"My my, what could've possibly brought you in to see me?" a mocking voice asked with a sickly sweet tone.

Shura scowled. She was in the office of the last person she would ever want to go to -whom she would only go to if she had no other choice. The very last person she wanted to see -Sir Mephisto Pheles. "I'm here to talk to you about Rin."

Mephisto's all-too-sweet smile remained in place. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes. With the Exorcist Certification Exam."

Mephisto's smile faded a little and something seemed off. "What about it?"

"He failed."

All of a sudden the air seemed to change completely. Mephisto's smile was gone, and while his expression was unreadable, Shura could tell he was clearly angry. "Oh did he?"

Shura felt almost as if she was the one in trouble –and she was now sure the True Cross Knights had purposefully not told him about this. It made sense -many of them did not trust him completely, and for good reason –he was a demon and all. "Yes."

He folded his hands and leaned his chin on them. "I see."

Shura was incredibly uncomfortable. The tense atmosphere, his tone –it all said that Mephisto was incredibly angry. But Shura sensed it was not about the test itself –no, he seemed angry about something else. But at what, Shura could not tell. Either way, she could tell at least he would be an ally at this point. "There's more," she went on.

"Tell me about it."

"Yukio was given the mission to assassinate him. He has one week to do so, and he is bound under a Morinas contract."

Mephisto's smile and posture did not change. "So they're trying to deprive us of two exorcists then?"

"Two?" Shura asked.

"Yes, two. Rin will be dead, obviously. And as for Yukio, he will no longer be useful. His entire reason for becoming an exorcist, for taking on this task to watch over Rin, was because he was able to work with his father, whom he made a promise to – that he would protect his brother. He wanted to be strong, so that one day he could protect his older brother. But with his brother being gone, not being able to keep that promise to Fujimoto, and the thing he was working to surpass -what reason would he have to keep going? He would either break down entirely or keep going on mechanically as a machine, so wrapped up in the mission itself that he will fail to notice other things, things that could back to bite him later. Both ways, he will no longer be useful or efficient as an Exorcist and of no further use to the True Cross…so we lose both of them."

Shura looked down. She was surprised Mephisto knew and understood all of this perfectly by knowing the two brothers.

Mephisto hopped to his feet, a small smile starting to come back to his face, he starting moving, taking small steps around the office. "So let me go over this, just to make sure I got it straight –Rin has failed the Exorcist Certification Exam and is to be executed. And the one they chose to be his executioner is his younger twin, Yukio. Is that right?"

Shura nodded. She thought she heard a bump, like something had fallen down, but didn't notice anything in the office.

Mephisto's smile returned. "Very well, it seems a visit to the Vatican is in order for me." She strode over to where Shura was, and leaned close to her face, his smile sweet as ever, but to her it also seemed horribly twisted with a very dangerous promise behind it. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, I'll be sure it's taken care of."

Shura felt vaguely like she couldn't breathe. He had that same eerie aura about him when he had threatened her, and when she heard him snarl out those words, she thought she heard several different voices, and not just the voice of the demon knight in front of her.

He turned around, away from her again. "Well, that will be all. You are free to go, Ms. Kirigakure."

Shura was never more glad to leave. But she thought she heard something outside the door –like someone hurrying off. But when she opened the door and stepped out, she saw no one around.

Scribble: Wow, you really had fun writing this one, huh?

Me: Yeah, it's difficult to write Mephisto, but also kinda fun. What will he do? And who did Shura hear there? Well, these questions will be answered, but you'll just have to wait! It probably won't come out until NEXT YEAR! *smirk* I'll try to get the next one out faster, but no promises until I settle in completely. Actually, the way the story seems to be heading right now, I think it's not gonna end so well…we'll have to see. So let me know what you think! Worthless flames will be given to Rin, turned into blue flames, and pointed back at flamers. Constructive criticism is appreciated. And good reviews are loved and encourage me to type faster. Thanks for reading, all! Long Live the Exorcist Cram School!

-titangirl161


	6. Chapter 5: Realizations and Revelations

Friends and haters, I'm back for the next chapter! These next two chapters will be a bit shorter- they were originally going to be one long chapter, but I don't really have time (remember the whole moving thing? It's a miracle I'm even getting this one out), so I'm breaking it down into two. Hooray for laziness! But don't worry, it just means I'll get the next chapter up sooner! Hopefully…So, Scribble will do the disclaimer and we will begin!

Scribble: How many times do we have to tell you people? We don't own Blue Exorcist!

Thanks to What2callmyself? for beta-ing my ramblings and destroying my beautiful commas.

Chapter 5: Realization and Revelations

Rin was walking down the hall in the school, looking for Yukio. After Shura left, he could tell by the way she was acting that something was up, and that it wasn't about him. He had to find Yukio to know. And knowing Yukio, who knew Rin would never willingly sit around in school, would avoid him at home by staying in the school building, so Rin would find Yukio in the school building. He had to applaud his moment of genius as he walked down the hall.

As he was passing Mephisto's office in the school, he heard muffled voices from inside. And he recognized one of them sounding like Shura's. Did she find something out? He leaned in closer to the door, just in time to hear Mephisto speak.

"So let me go over, just to make sure I got it straight –Rin has failed the Exorcist Certification Exam and is to be executed. And the one they chose to be his executioner is his younger twin, Yukio. Is that right?"

At these words Rin fell to his knees on the floor. No…no…no, it just couldn't be. He couldn't have failed. He knew he could never have done perfectly, but he couldn't have failed. But he couldn't push Mephisto's words out of his head. No matter how much his brain tried to deny this, he now knew the truth.

He had failed. They were going to kill him.

Then the second part of the shock came about.

Yukio was going to kill him. Literally.

It all made sense to Rin now. That mission, why he started acting so weird afterwards, Shura sensing something wrong –now he understood it all. It was because of this.

They were going to kill him, Yukio was going to do it, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He heard someone moving towards the door, and not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, he jumped to his feet and bolted away as fast as he could, running until he was sure he wouldn't be noticed, until he got back to his building. Once there he finally slowed down.

He walked very slowly, like a zombie, towards his room. He still could not believe it. He would never get to defeat Satan now. He wouldn't get to be an exorcist and go on more missions. It just felt so unreal to him, like he wasn't even really awake. He wished now he had studied more. He wished he had paid more attention in class. He was also angry at himself for not doing those things. If he had, he wouldn't be stuck in this situation –he wouldn't have to be killed by Yukio.

He got to his room, and collapsed on the bed, staring up blankly into the ceiling. Kuro, who had noticed his weird expression when he walked in, looked at him inquisitively. 'Rin?' Rin could hear Kuro's soft question in his head. He didn't pay any attention to his familiar though, he continued to stare.

A couple of tears pricked at his eyes and Rin covered his face with his arm. He didn't want to die like this. He actually had plans for what would happen if he passed, never if he failed. And now that the course had been chosen, he had no idea what to do.

Then his thoughts returned to his brother. Yukio would be the one to kill him.

And as he thought of that, he realized it wasn't so bad. Yukio would probably make sure it was quick and he wouldn't suffer. It wouldn't be some stranger or weirdo from the Vatican. If he could have his choice of anyone to kill him, he wanted it to be his brother. He felt that it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Kuro came over and hopped up on him on the bed. 'Rin, are you alright?'

"Yeah," Rin told the cat sith. "I'm ok. Just thinking some things over." He looked down at his friend. "Hey Kuro –if something happens to me, you'll stay with Yukio and look after him, ok?"

Kuro cocked his head. 'Well, sure, but what about you? What's going to happen to you?"

"Don't worry about it." Rin rose to his feet. He knew it was going to be weird, but he really wanted to clear the air with Yukio –he didn't want there to be any bad feelings between them until the time came. He wanted to make peace with his brother first. He quickly sent Yukio a text asking him to come down for dinner.

Now, what did his brother like to eat? Sukiyaki? Oh wait, no -that was Rin's favorite. Yukio liked fish paste products, so Rin got to work in the kitchen –he was a good cook, and figured that this was the best way to smooth things over.

Yukio was hesitant at first to accept Rin's offer, and was about to not show up, but he knew Rin was making him dinner and didn't want to waste food. So with a high sense of trepidation, he walked into the kitchen where Rin was.

Inside he saw Rin making a large futomaki roll, and Rin turned to smile at him. "Oh, you got here faster than I expected!" Rin turned back to the food he was preparing. "Don't worry; it'll be ready in just a few minutes though."

Yukio looked dumbfounded. "Wha…what…"

Rin turned again to his brother. "Yukio, I know things have been weird between the two of us the last couple of days. But I just wanted to let you know there are no hard feelings, and so I decided to make something you liked for dinner. I don't want to fight with you, you're my little brother. So I'd appreciate if we could get over it and things can go back to normal with us. Ok?"

This was too much for Yukio. He had accepted a mission to kill Rin, had avoided him the last few days, and had expected a screaming match when he got here. But instead Rin was responding by apologizing to him? He couldn't do this. He just couldn't. He stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, and hung his head forward so Rin couldn't see the tears in his eyes.

Rin could hear his sniffles though. "Yukio?" he asked, concerned, as he knelt down by his brother. "Hey, don't be upset, it's ok."

"I'm sorry, Nii-san. I'm so sorry," Yukio choked out.

"Yukio it's alright, I'm your Nii-san, I understand," Rin tried to calm his twin.

And that's when Yukio realized he couldn't do it. He couldn't hold it in anymore. Screw the contract; even if he was bound under it he just couldn't keep it a secret anymore. "Rin, the Vatican has ordered me to kill you since you failed the Exorcist Certification Exam!"

Yukio had expected a million different replies from Rin at that sentence, but the one reply he didn't expect was the one that came out of Rin's mouth. "I know."

Scribble: YOU'RE STOPPNG THERE?

Me: Yeah, I love leaving the suspense at the end of the chapters –it keeps the reader interested and waiting to see what happens next. So here's the next chapter people! What do you think? Worthless flames = worthless. Con crit = appreciated. Good reviews = love. Hopefully the next chapter should come out soon, since work is calming down a bit –we shall see. Long Live the Exorcist Cram School!

-titangirl161


	7. Chapter 6: The Truth Will Kill You

Hello people, I've come back again to continue this story. The authoress is lazy, but she does continue! So here is the newest chapter, and let's get right to it! Scribble?

Scribble: We own nothing; we only had a dream…

Thanks to W2cm? who I force to read my stories!

Chapter 6: The Truth Will Kill You

Yukio felt a multitude of emotions at the same time hearing his older twin's reply. He was strangely relieved, scared, shocked…but the one that came out the strongest was that he was ANGRY. How could Rin? He had been torturing himself all this time, feeling depressed and avoiding Rin, and now he tells him he knew about it? And never thought to ask him or tell him about it? Was he purposely letting him stew in guilt all this time?

Rin didn't know how Yukio would react, but could guess it wasn't going to be pretty…and when Yukio looked up with fury in his eyes, his suspicions were confirmed. "You KNEW?" Yukio yelled. "You knew all this time and didn't say anything?!"

"Well, what would you want me to say? Hey, I know you're going to kill me? Yeah, that's not really a conversation starter!" Rin argued back.

"Who told you?!"

"No one! Certainly not Mr. Executioner himself!" Rin retorted.

Yukio grew strangely quiet again. "Oh, so you wanted me to tell you, is that it? You have no idea how I've been feeling these past few days. I've been worrying about your tests only to find you failed, knew that I had to kill you but couldn't tell you, have felt guilty and miserable, and here you tell me you knew?! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! And how did you find out anyhow?!"

"What does it matter to you?! You obviously don't care about me! You've been avoiding me, and all this time I thought it was something I'd done! You didn't have to ignore me just because you didn't like something that was going on! If you were that upset about it, you could've refused!"

"You have no idea how that place works! There was no way I could've refused! And now, I suppose you'll never know!" And with that, Yukio stormed out.

Rin went back to his room and sighed. Well, that didn't go quite as planned. As he flopped down on his bed, he wondered if maybe it was better this way. Maybe if Yukio was angry enough about killing him, he wouldn't beat himself up over it so much. So maybe it was best to go to plan B –goad his younger brother into killing him, and hope he wouldn't be too sad about it afterwards.

Rin turned over, hoping to get some sleep, but just ended up tossing and turning all night.

Meanwhile, Yukio walked the empty halls of the abandoned building trying to cool his head. And as the anger faded away, a strange kind of elation came over him, the kind that usually accompanies relief. He wasn't forced to keep it to himself anymore. He had finally let it out. Except that meant –

The contract. He had broken the contract.

Even still, he found himself smiling. Even if he killed his brother, he could pay for his horrible act with his own life. Neither of them would be left behind; they could go to the next life together, just as they had come into this one. After all, somebody would still kill his brother, so it might as well be him.

He thought he heard a screech in the distance, and he felt his heart pound in anticipation. 'Not yet,' he thought. 'I can't be killed just yet. Not until I've taken care of this. Not until I kill Nii-san.'

Yukio paced around the building all night.

~The Next Day~

Early that morning, both exhausted brothers faced each other in the hallway. Neither had gotten any sleep, and both had dark circle under their eyes. There was a long silence as the two brothers just stared at each other.

Rin was the first to speak. "So, have you finally made up your mind to kill me? Or are you still the same scaredy-cat you always were?"

Yukio didn't reply, he only raised his gun and pointed it at Rin. "If only you had worked harder…"Yukio trailed off.

"Oh, so I have to pay because I'm not like you? I couldn't do that even if I wanted to, and if that's the way it has to be, I don't care."

"It didn't have to be this way."

"Yeah, so why're you so upset? I'm the one who's dying! And you'll probably be glad! I was nothing but a burden to you anyway! Now you can go and lead a normal life without worrying about me all the time! So go ahead!"

Yukio sighed. "That's not true Nii-san, and I think you know that."

Rin was surprised at Yukio's calm tone, and his own lost its edge. "I know you gave up a lot because of me. You'll probably be better off without me."

"That's not true either –it's killing me to have to do this. But don't worry, you won't have to go to the afterlife without me, I'll be right behind you."

Now Rin was worried, and felt he had to stop Yukio from what he thought he was referring to. "Yukio, I know you're upset, but don't you ever think of hurting yourself! I don't care what you do to me, but if you do that I won't forgive you!"

"No Nii-san, it's not quite like that," Yukio said softly, and a small, relieved and calm smile came to the younger brother's face. "I broke the contract –I was not supposed to tell you that I was going to kill you."

Rin felt confused. "I don't get it. What contract?"

"I signed a contract written by a demon that I would not tell you. And since I broke that contract, that demon is coming to kill me."

Rin's eyes widened, and before he could say a word, a loud rumbling sound, like a roar, came from below them and the ground began to shake.

"You see?" Yukio asked, his smile growing even wider. "He's almost here."

Scribble: Your cliffhangers kill me, you know that?

Me: Well, this is where my dream left off. The next chapter will be hard to write, but I will do it! IT SHALL BE DONE! I just don't know how…or when… But anyway, let me know what you think! In case you didn't already get the breakdown: Worthless flames = no, Con crit = yes, good reviews = more yes! And so until we meet again! Long Live the Exorcist Cram School!

-titangirl161


	8. Chapter 7: Truth at Last

Hey all! I'm back again with another chapter! It came out later than expected, but authoress got a new job so I was a bit busy with that. We're getting close to wrapping this up; the next chapter will be the last! So let's get on with this! Scribble?

Scribble: We don't own Blue Exorcist, just our dream.

Beta-d by What2callmyself? who couldn't even wait until she got to the actual story to start taking out my commas. (^.^)

Chapter 7: Truth at Last

As Shura and Mephisto hurried back to the True Cross Academy to tell the twins the news, Shura had to look at the honorary knight, in stunned amazement. "I can't believe you figured that out!" she shouted.

Mephisto continued to smile enigmatically. "Evidence is everywhere if you're looking for it."

~Earlier~

"Mephisto, what is the meaning of this? How could you accuse us of something so serious?" a member of the Grigori asked incredulously.

Mephisto did not back down. "None the less, here I am, openly accusing you of forging a test paper. And of course I have brought the proof with me."

"Proof?" another asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, proof. I would like you to take a look at this," he tossed a rolled up paper their way.

"What is this?" another asked, as they unrolled it. And as everyone in the Grigori looked at it, their eyes widened in shock. "Wha…what is the meaning of this?"

"I would like to know that as well. And if that is Rin's test paper, as it says it is, what is it doing, undelivered to you, in my office? Also, all students were given black ink pens, and so why is your copy clearly in blue pen ink?"

Mephisto could only smile in glee at the ensuing chaos.

~Present~

"Either way, I'm glad they're doing an investigation- maybe it will show Rin passed after all!" Shura said enthusiastically.

But just as they were in view of the school, a rumble could be felt in the ground, and suddenly something seemed to burst of from the old abandoned building the twins lived in.

Mephisto's smile faded. "And…what's that?"

Shura felt the blood drain from her face and a chill inside her as she took off towards the building. "We have to hurry, let's go!"

~Inside~

Rin barely had time to react after Yukio's words when something burst out of the floor from below them, knocking them both apart. The demon had the appearance of a giant serpent with a strangely human-esque face.

"Yukio, what the hell is this thing?"

"It's a demon that's come to kill me, as I jut explained," Yukio seemed strangely calm for someone who was talking about their own death.

The serpent demon lunged at Yukio, and Yukio stood still, unmoving, ready to accept it…until Rin jumped in front of him, using his sword to hold the demon back.

"Nii-san! You idiot, what do you think you're doing?!"

"Saving you, since you don't seem to be too keen on doing it yourself!" Rin shot back. He managed to push the demon back, and turned to his younger twin. "Look, for right now, I don't care about the whole you have to kill me thing, we can argue about that later! Right now, let's just get rid of this thing, because I refuse to let it kill you, and there's nothing you can say to convince me otherwise!"

Yukio stared at him, dumbfounded. Rin meanwhile charged straight at the enemy without a plan, much in typical Rin fashion. The serpent, understanding that Rin would continue to be an obstacle until he was properly taken care of, turned its attention to him, but was hurt and distracted by the bullets that hit the side of its face. Out of the corner of its eye it saw the contract breaker, guns raised in hands, pointed at it.

And Yukio, now firing at the demon, could only think hopelessly 'It's useless. I just can't win. Whenever it comes to Nii-san, I can never win.'

As the demon turned back to Yukio, Rin took the opportunity to run near its side and slash away, and while it turned its attention back to the older brother, Yukio stared running in the other direction, still firing away at it. And strangely, their little tag team worked. Yukio had to wonder, would it had been this way if Rin had truly become an exorcist? Would they have been this effective in battles together? Rin had even said after fighting the Kracken that they should team up to beat demons together. Yukio found himself smiling strangely; he and Rin seemed to make a pretty good team after all.

Until the serpent smashed its tail into the wall Yukio was standing near, causing the wall to crumble and collapse.

"Yukio!" Rin screamed as he raced towards his brother, whom had no time to escape, as fast as he could.

And just then Shura tore through the wall, sword drawn, and with a quick movement, sliced the demon cleanly in half. It thrashed hopelessly for a moment, and then lay still, and when Shura turned to see the boys, her eyes widened in shock and tears started form.

Rin had gotten to his brother just in time- but not enough for both of them. He had managed to push Yukio out of the way, but he himself ended up buried under the rubble of the collapsed wall, one arm and his neck and head being the only things not buried. Blood was pooling on the ground around him, and he was coughing up even more. And Yukio could only stare completely horrified, his brain unable to process what had just happened. No. No, it couldn't be true. His brother couldn't be buried there, gravely wounded, possibly dying. This couldn't be real; it had to be a dream. He slowly crawled over and took his brothers free hand. "Nii-san?" he all but whispered.

Rin tried to look up at him, but could barely see him. His vision was cloudy, hazy, and getting darker. There was just too much he wanted to say to Yukio, he wanted to tell him he was sorry, that it would be ok, that Yukio shouldn't blame himself because his Nii-san would never blame him, that he should keep moving on and smiling, and that no matter how little they seemed to get along and how much they fought, that Rin had always loved him and always would. But he had no time to say all this. And so he tried to say the one thing that could say all of those things put into one. He smiled hearing his brother call for him. "That's right. I'm your Nii-san, and no matter what, I always will be." And he knew Yukio would understand and know- he would always be the older brother who stood by his side, who believed in and supported him, who would stand up for and protect him, and who loved him always.

And Yukio smiled, allowing himself to feel a little bit of hope, hearing his brother speak. "I know. Don't worry, it'll be ok, we'll get you help."

Rin kept smiling, his breathing becoming ragged. "Sounds… just like you…I hope…you never change, Yu…ki…o…."

And as his eyes closed he didn't see the look of despair coming to his younger brother's face.

Scribble: WHY DO YOU ALWAYS DO THIS TO EVERYONE?

Me: Well, because I do! Anyways, there you go people, and now it's your turn! Originally, the ending in mind was a bad/sad ending, but those who know me know I'm a sucker for happy endings, so I COULD possibly do one, but I can't decide which! So I'll let the readers choose! Do you guys reading want a happy or sad ending? I have an outline for each, and depending on how many people gives me answers how fast, I might get this up before my birthday in July. Leave a review and let me know! So until next time! Long Live the Exorcist Cram School!

-titangirl161


	9. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello everyone!

So, while the majority of the requests I got were for a happy ending, there was one reviewer who shared the same idea as my beta reader when I told her- "Why not just post both endings?"

So since both are nearing the final draft stages, I will be posting both of them, most likely on the same day. Then everyone will get whichever ending they want/like.

Thanks to everyone for reading this! Final chapters should be out in about two weeks!

Long Live the Exorcist Cram School!

-titangirl161

PS- GOD, MEPHISTO'S FACE WAS SCARY IN CHAPTER 66. I USED TO WISH HE'D STOP SMILING SO MUCH. I REGRET THAT NOW. PLEASE KEEP SMILING FOREVER YOU FREAKY CLOWN.


	10. Epilogue 1: Bad End

I'm back for the first of the final part, so let's get this going! Scribble?

Scribble: We own nothing, don't sue us.

Beta'd by What2callmyself?

Epilogue

"I hear he comes in here every day; poor kid…" the nurse trailed off talking to her friend.

Yukio was sitting on the edge of the bed, not hearing them at all, looking down sadly at his brother. The damage Rin took had been extensive. Several of his vertebras had cracked, and he had fractured most of his ribs, two of which had punctured his left lung. His left knee had shattered and his collarbone had also cracked. While his heart somehow managed to avoid most damage, his liver had been crushed and his kidneys also failed. He had been in a coma now for two weeks, the ventilator doing most of the breathing for him, but the doctors warned there might have been some brain damage, which they would only know for sure when he woke up.

IF he woke up at all. There was always the possibility he would never regain consciousness. Even with his healing ability working, it may never be enough.

Yukio wasn't the only visitor, but he was the most frequent. All the students from cram school (except Takara, which wasn't unusual) came as well. Shiemi had cried, wondering why neither of the boys told her what was going on. Izumo had looked down at him for a very long time before sadly whispering one word: "Idiot." Shima had tried to wake him by tempting him with thoughts of pretty girls (and Suguro had belted him the face). Konekomaru had tried various Buddhist prayers to wake him (all to no avail). And Suguro merely sat, saying nothing, but was forced back in almost immediately after leaving with bloody knuckles after punching the wall outside the room.

Yukio looked over at the machines again. They were the only things keeping Rin alive. But they looked so weird to him, so foreign. They weren't really a part of Rin, were they? Yet he wouldn't be alive without them. He hated this- hated seeing his brother like this. This just couldn't be Rin; this had to be a dream. He had tried telling himself that many times over these couple of weeks. He never believed himself though.

He heard the nurses talking again, breaking him out of his thoughts. "From what the doctors said, there's a 95% chance he'll never wake up."

"Really? That's terrible!"

"Yes, but the doctor didn't have the heart to tell the brother that. It's probably why he keeps coming in here to see him."

Their words sunk in and Yukio felt his heart twist. He leaned over the bed with the tears stinging his eyes. This was all his fault, he knew. If only he hadn't said anything, he knew later how Shura and Mephisto had been investigating and found out there had been a problem with Rin's test. But if this was all his fault, then he should set it right- the only way he knew how.

He took his brother's limp hand in his and spoke to him softly. "I'm so sorry Rin. If I had only been more honest with you, none of this would've ever happened. But it's ok. We'll be together again soon, back with Dad. We'll be a family again, just like we were going to be before. And we'll go there together."

He got up, opened the window, and unplugged the machines.

The nurses heard the distressed beeps and then the sound of flat-lining and rushed back into the room, just in time to see the other boy jump out the open window on the eighth floor.

Me: Huh...wow…I feel sad now…why did I write this again?

Well anyway, this was the end, so what did you think? Feel free to check out the other ending, and/or leave a review! Worthless flames are worthless. Con crit is appreciated. And good reviews are loved! So until I find an opportunity to write for these guys again, Long Live the Exorcist Cram School!

-titangirl161


	11. Epilogue 2: Good End

Hello everyone! And here's our happy ending! Yes, it's longer, I may have mentioned I'm a sucker for happy endings. So let's get this going! Scribble?

Scribble: We never have and never will own Blue Exorcist.

And a big thanks to What2callmyself? for beta reading for a manga she doesn't even read while listening to me rave about how awesome it is! *gives her cookie*

Epilogue

"I hear he comes in here every day; poor kid…" the nurse trailed off talking to her friend.

Yukio was sitting on the edge of the bed, not hearing them at all, looking down sadly at his brother. The damage Rin took had been extensive. Several of his vertebras had cracked, and he had fractured most of his ribs, two of which had punctured his left lung. His left knee had shattered and his collarbone had also cracked. While his heart somehow managed to avoid most damage, his liver had been crushed and his kidneys also failed. He had been in a coma now for two weeks, the ventilator doing most of the breathing for him, but the doctors warned there might have been some brain damage, which they would only know for sure when he woke up.

IF he woke up at all. There was always the possibility he would never regain consciousness. Even with his healing ability working, it may never be enough.

Yukio wasn't the only visitor, but he was the most frequent. All the students from cram school (except Takara, which wasn't unusual) came as well. Shiemi had cried, wondering why neither of the boys told her what was going on. Izumo had looked down at him for a very long time before sadly whispering one word: "Idiot." Shima had tried to wake him by tempting him with thoughts of pretty girls (and Suguro had belted him the face). Konekomaru had tried various Buddhist prayers to wake him (all to no avail). And Suguro merely sat, saying nothing, but was forced back in almost immediately after leaving with bloody knuckles after punching the wall outside the room.

Yukio looked over at the machines again. They were the only things keeping Rin alive. But they looked so weird to him, so foreign. They weren't really a part of Rin, were they? Yet he wouldn't be alive without them. He hated this- hated seeing his brother like this. This just couldn't be Rin; this had to be a dream. He had tried telling himself that many times over these couple of weeks. He never believed himself though.

Yukio looked down at his brother again. He knew it was true, Rin would probably never wake up, and everything that had happened was his fault. He could've refused to sign the contract. He could've been easier on Rin. He could've waited another day –he heard about how Shura and Mephisto had been investigating and found out there had been a problem with Rin's test. There were a million things he could've done differently, but he didn't, and this was the result.

He took his brother's limp hand in his, feeling tears stinging his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Nii-san," he whispered to his unconscious twin. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm sorry I avoided you. I'm sorry that I blew up on you after you told me you found out. I'm sorry that we'll never get to work on our teamwork now. I'm sorry I was so useless that you had to end up like this to protect me. I was never able to protect you- it seems all my life I always let you down." He let the tears fall from his eyes. "I'm so sorry for everything. And…I'm sorry for this too. I just hope one day, when you wake up, you'll learn to forgive me."

Yukio released his brother's hand and stood up. After all this, how could Rin ever forgive him? He couldn't even begin to forgive himself. And he didn't want to live with the guilt anymore.

He walked over to the window, opening it wide. He hopped up on the sill and leaned out. It was a good eight stories to the ground- it would be enough to kill him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

But before he could throw himself out, a hand grabbed him tightly on the sleeve and pulled him back.

He turned to see his brother's eyes boring into his.

And as he felt the surprise and relief of Rin being alive, he heard his brother speak, in a tired and strangely strangled voice, as if trying to fight off tears. "Don't…don't you dare…do this…Yukio. If you do…I'll never…forgive you. Please…don't leave me…."

The nurses heard the sound the machines were making and rushed into the room, and were pleasantly surprised to see the younger brother on the bed, crying, his arms wrapped around his older brother, who had finally woken up.

~Later~

As soon as Rin's friends heard he was awake, they all came to see him too. Shiemi cried, hugging him, telling him how glad she was that he was ok. Both Konekomaru and Shima were relieved to see he was awake. Both Bon and Izumo tried to play it off like they weren't worried and knew he'd be fine (except Shima told Rin how they really were worried which led to Bon giving him a death glare and Izumo kicking him). They all left, eventually, leaving only Yukio, who wanted to stay with him a bit longer. Since Rin was still in intensive care, Yukio could stay as long as he wanted.

That night, it started raining, and Yukio noticed Rin seemed a bit fidgety. "Are you alright, Nii-san?"

"Uh, yeah," Rin mumbled a bit nervously as he looked out the window at the weather.

Yukio sighed and smiled. "They told me I didn't have to leave, so if you'd like, I'll stay with you tonight."

Rin looked much happier at this prospect. "OK, that sounds much better."

Yukio climbed into the bed with him, and Rin snuggled against his chest like he always did. "I'm glad you're here, Yukio. I love you," he said softly as he quickly fell asleep.

Yukio smiled, not sleeping yet. "You do this all the time. You always make me worry about you. And I hate that you do that. But still…the only reason I worry at all is because I love you too," he said, realizing fully that Shura had hit the nail right on the head when she told him that. He hugged his older brother. "You don't have to worry," he whispered. "I won't make the same mistake twice. I won't let them hurt you. I will always protect you." And soon he fell asleep as well.

~Omake~

Shura found her way back to Mephisto's office to get the answer to one more question she had and hopefully tie up any loose ends in her paperwork. She knocked on his door.

"Come in!" a sing-song voice beckoned her inside.

She came in to see Mephisto looking quite pleased. "I've heard my dear little brother woke up," he told her happily.

Shura nodded. "As did I- I plan on visiting him tomorrow. But I still have one more question for you."

"Well, I'm feeling generous right now, so ask away."

"Did you really find a second test?"

"Nope! Not at all!"

The blood drained from Shura's face. "Then…you're saying…Rin DID fail?"

"Certainly not. He passed."

Shura was quite confused now. "What? How do you know?

"Because I was there."

And suddenly it all made sense again. "You were in the room then."

"Of course- there was no way I could let Rin fail- I have too much riding on him. I sat on the wall as a fly and watched him. I was planning on even getting him to change some of his answers too, if need be, but I didn't even need to do that. He did it all on his own- by the skin of his teeth, sure, but he did manage to pass."

"Then…the one at the Vatican…?"

"It was his test…yet somebody changed the answers. Who, I don't know at this point, although only somebody high up could've gotten in to do so –just as only somebody high up could've gotten in to change the test further," he smiled at what he had just implied, and Shura wondered how she was supposed to begin to finish this report.

"Do you have anybody in mind?"

"Somehow, even if I did, I'm more worried about the one behind the forger who wanted this done," he suddenly grew serious, his voice quiet. He turned away, staring at the wall, and mumbled softly to himself, "So HE'S on the move now…."as if he had completely forgotten Shura was still in the room.

Shura's eye widened. "What?" she asked softly.

Mephisto turned back to smile at her as he rose. "Oh, I'm sure you'll find out shortly! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a school festival to plan!" And he bounced out of the room, leaving Shura standing there, with more questions than answers.

Scribble: You owe us an explanation- that last part was a bit confusing.

Me: Yeah, I know- beta said the same thing. Rin passed, on his own. But someone, I don't know, maybe like the mole they found during the school festival (see, I can tie in to the story too!) was high up enough to sneak in and change some of the answers. Once he found out, Mephisto responded by sneaking in himself and changing the ink color (like previously mentioned) and made a second copy official enough to fool everyone. He's a wonderful bastard like that.

Well anyway, this was the end, so what did you think? Feel free to check out the other ending, and/or leave a review! Worthless flames are worthless. Con crit is appreciated. And good reviews are loved! So until I find an opportunity to write for these guys again, Long Live the Exorcist Cram School!

-titangirl161


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